The Other Side
by Chranze
Summary: My name is Higurashi Kagome. Anyone care to tell me what to do when I have a perverted monk, a demon hunter, a rude half demon, an arragont youkai, and a sweet kid stuck at my house for a week?
1. Through the Well

**The Other Side**

**Chapter One **

**- Through the Well -**

"Kagome...You have to keep the others away from the well."

I looked at Kaede-obasan with a puzzled look. Inuyasha had always been able to go through the well even though Sango-chan, Miroku-sama, Kirara, nor Shippo-chan could. Of course, I do try to make him stay at this side of the well as much as possible because of all the mishap he creates, but I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy his company back at home.

However...

I had always wanted to take Sango-chan over to the other side of the well to take her shopping(I have this great skirt in mind), Miroku-sama so that he could talk some sense into oji-chan about the artifacts at the shrine, and Shippo-chan so that he could a fun time at an amusement park. And I had half a mind to kidnap Kirara and make her meet Buyo if it was possible.

Kaede obasan was looking sternly at me saying that I should keep them away from the Bone-Eating Well. Why should I if it was impossible for them to go through it anyway?

"You must be wondering why you should do so even if it is impossible to use the well."

"Um...Yes, actually I am."

"Because the time zone of the well is going to snap. Tonight."

Silence took place in the small hut. The only sounds were the crackling of the small fire in the hut, Sango-chan slapping Miroku-sama, and Inuyasha hitting Shippo-chan (I should make him sit for that).

"What time zone?"

"The time zone," Obasan repeated while tending the fire, "is what links the well from this world to your world. The time zone had never been cut before, but as the negative energy of the earth collide with the positive energy of the sky, the time zone will break for about a minute."

I still had the confused look on my face.

"Never mind trying to understand the whole situation. Just remember: it will break tonight. I do not know exactly when but it should sometime after sunset. Just keep everyone away from the well."

"Does that mean any youkai can just jump into the well and get transported to my time?"

"If it is in the well at that precise minute, yes."

"Then how would it come back?"

"The time zone will activate once more after the heat of the collision of the earth and sky calms down. In other words, a week."

"So...If Inuyasha fell in there at that precise moment...I would be stuck with him for a week?"

"Yes."

"Does this mean Sango-chan and Miroku-sama too?"

"Do not get any ideas Kagome," Kaede-obasan chuckled.

Oops. Forgot to hide my excitement.

I smiled as I got up from my seat.

"All right, Kaede-obasan. I'll keep them away."

"Best not to tell them anything. They might consider going into the well themselves. And remember Kagome," she said, "the time zone might not heal in a week and maybe for eternity. Be careful."

I nodded and stepped out of the hut.

* * *

"Inuyasha, sit!" 

A loud crash told me the order had worked. Shippo-chan came running towards me crying as he rubbed the bump on his head.

"What the hell was that for, Kagome?" Inuyasha yelled furiously.

"For being an arrogant baka! How many times do I have to tell you to leave Shippo-chan alone?"

"Keh!"

Inuyasha turned his back on me and started heading towards the well.

"Sit."

He crashed down again and I hurriedly ran towards him with Shippo-chan in my arms.

"Stay away from the well, Inuyasha!"

"I can go wherever I want, wench!"

"Sit!"

"Inuyasha really is a baka," Shippo-chan said in my arms as Inuyasha made a deep crater in the earth. "He should do what he's told to. Then he wouldn't have to sit. Right, Kagome?"

"Why you little-"

"Sit!"

Shippo-chan let out a laugh and jumped out of my arms to scamper towards the hut. I bended my knees to get closer to the barely squirming Inuyasha on the ground.

"Inuyasha, how about a bowl of ramen?"

Before he could say anything I had pulled him up by the back of his houdoushi and dragging him towards the hut.

"Come on! No need to refuse!"

"Kagome, are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, I feel...Wonderfully fine!" I yelled as I saw Sango-chan swinging her bone boomarang Hiraikotsu and chasing Miroku-sama.

They were headed towards the well.

"Stop!"

I abandoned Inuyasha and ran towards the two. Miroku-sama had tripped and was stumbling backwards, teetering at the edge of the well.

I mustered all the energy and volleyball skills I had to slide and pull him back. He crashed into me and we both ended up in a heap.

"Kagome-chan! Are you all right?" Sango-chan asked as she put down Hiraikotsu.

"Yes, I'm fine! Miroku-sama keep your hands to yourself!" I added as I gave him a slap in the face.

"The tender caresses from you, Kagome-san, can melt me to my very bones. Would you please think about bearing my children over again?"

Slap.

"You can melt to your very bones as long as I'm concerned, Houshi-sama!" Sango-chan seethed as she helped me up.

I saw a trickle of blood was already running down his left temple as he continued smiling at Sango-chan.

"Um, Sango-chan could you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

I was going to keep all of them away from the well if it was the last thing I do.

* * *

"Kagome you're acting really strange today," Inuyasha said as he slurped on noodles. 

"You can have second helpings Inuyasha," I smiled. "As long as you just stay there. And what do you mean strange? I'm feeling fine, thank you."

I watched the group huddled in a circle near the well, feasting on the last supply of cup noodles I had brought. As for me, I was holding an old spear in hand Sango had brought for me(just in case Inuyasha caused any trouble) and sitting in front of the well. The sun was slowly setting, coloring the village in a nice light shade of orange. I could see the smoke coming out of few chimneys in the village. Probably getting ready for dinner.

Speaking of dinner...

Why wasn't anyone offering me some of their's? Couldn't they see me getting fatigued with this tiresome job of guarding the well?

"Kagome-san is sure acting strange today."

I heard Miroku-sama whisper.

"Yes, I realized that too," Sango-chan muttered back. "Maybe she's ill?

"Maybe it's her moon period. Don't women get cranky on their moon period?"

"Houshi-sama!"

"That old woman must have fed her something weird," Inuyasha whispered. "I saw her coming out of the hut just a moment ago."

"Maybe it's the mushrooms Sango got from the village," Shippo-chan chirped in. "Remember the ones that turn into youkai when you cook them?"

"Or maybe she was just like that from the start."

"Hey!" I finally yelled. I saw them all wince. "I can hear everything from here! And just to tell you, I! Am! Fine!"

"She sure sounds healthy," Inuyasha muttered.

I was about to retort when he suddenly stopped raising his noodles to his mouth in mid-air. He sniffed a few times and growled, his hand already onto the handle of Tetseiga. He pulled his sword out and let out a growl towards the forest.

"Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru? No! Hell, no!

But hell, yes, it was Sesshomaru. He came out of the woods with his nonchalant gait and the short green youkai followed after him. Jaken, I think was his name. Then this two-headed dragon came lumbering after them(where the hell did he get it?) and I soon saw a familiar face beaming and waving towards me.

"Kagome-sama!"

It was Rin-chan! The cute human girl who always followed Sesshomaru. The adorable little girl who was always calling me 'Kagome-sama'. The innocent little girl who knew nothing about boys and...Other things...

I was already smiling and waving back to her when Inuyasha started picking a fight with his brother.

"Don't you get sick of trying to get something that won't even accept you?" He sneered. The something meaning Tetseiga.

"If it is a fight you want, hanyou, it is a fight you will get."

And then there was the usual battle with the two brothers. I swear, even I don't fight as much as they do with Souta. I soon felt someone tugging gently at my socks and I looked down to see Rin-chan smiling up at me.

God, she is so cute. I should kidnap her and kick Souta out of the house instead. I'm sure Mama will approve.

"Kagome-sama! Rin is now big enough to start a fire by herself!" She proudly stated.

"I'm so proud of you!" I enthusiastically praised her. I picked her up gently. She really was petite for her age.

"Human wench! Let go of Rin this instant before Sesshomaru-sama gets infuriated!"

It was that green youkai Miroku-sama had once threatened to kill in the past if he didn't tell us anything about Sesshomaru when we first encountered him. I never noticed how short he was.

"He wouldn't mind!" I said as I nudged him away with my foot.

I wasn't eager to let Rin-chan go. How often do you come across a sweet kid like her?

"Why you!"

I guess he didn't really like being nudged by the foot. He raised his funky staff with the two heads.

Oh yeah. That thing could shoot fire.

I narrowly missed the blast of heat by swerving to the right, but I stumbled backwards.

Stupid low wood frame of the pointlessly low well.

I let out a short scream as I fell backwards. My right hand held onto the wooden frame, my body dangerously hanging at the edge of the well.

"Kagome-chan!"

I heard Sango-chan running towards me and shoving Jaken away. She grabbed my hand as I heard Rin-chan whimper. The dark pit below us must have scared her.

"Come on, Sango-chan! I can't drop into the well! Not today!"

"I don't understand a word you're saying," Sango-chan said as her face came into view. That's when I saw Miroku-sama behind her.

Before I could say anything, Sango-chan let out an angry yell before she stumbled over. She could have fallen down herself but she just had to grab onto Miroku-sama's clothes and fall in with him. I could hear myself yelling curses inside my mind...Or was I saying it out loud? I hope Rin-chan and Shippo-chan didn't hear that.

"Houshi-sama!"

I heard a loud slap. I looked down to see Miroku-sama's hand dangerously near Sango-chan's rear end. I was relieved to see that the well had not opened...yet.

"I was merely protecting your beautiful body from getting hurt, Sango."

"We don't have time for that right now, Miroku-sama!" I yelled as my hand started to ache. "Get out of the well, right now!"

"Human wench! Hand over Rin this instant!"

Aw, shit! Why does that dumb toad have to be here at such a time?

"Inuyasha!" I yelled the first thing that popped into my mind.

"Kagome? What are you-"

I heard a loud explosion near the woods.

"Pay attention when in battle, hanyou."

"I'll cut off your other arm you son of a-"

"INUYASHA!"

I heard him firing a Kaze no Kizu towards Sesshomaru and rushing towards the well.

"Shippo-chan! Get back!" I ordered.

"Kagome!"

I don't know what happened next. I heard a loud squeal from Shippo-chan and the next moment, Inuyasha was in the well, trying to untangle himself from Sango-chan and Miroku-sama after colliding with them.

"Why are you no use?" I yelled.

"What?" He barked back angrily.

I was going to yell at him more when I noticed a shadow towering over me.

Holy shit... Sesshomaru looked very tall from here.

He lowered his sword so that it was centimeters away from my wrist.

"Let go of Rin."

He then swung his sword.

That's when my hand gave away.

And that's when I saw the purple light erupting through the cracks of the well below.

"NO, SHIT!"

I bet everyone in the village could have heard my echoing curses even as I fell with the mass of people through the darkness.

* * *

**Vocabulary:**

Obasan - Grandma

-sama - suffix used at the end of the name to be polite or show respect.

-chan - suffix used at the end of the name with close people. Usually between girls and children.

Kaze no kizu - wind scar (I just don't like the name in English)

baka - stupid

houshi - monk (I noticed Sango always called him houshi-sama)

hudoushi - top of kimono Japanese men wear

I hope you guys find this interesting...I had a fun time writing it and the gears of my mind are rolling away!

Just a little story that came into mind at two in the morning the other night. Kagome is going to go through a rough time isn't she? Updates will depend on how many reviews I recieve:)


	2. Welcome to Tokyo

**The Other Side**

**Chapter Two **

**- Welcome to Tokyo -**

"Get off, monk!"

"Inuyasha, I am not on your legs."

"Whoever's groping my thighs is going to get hurt."

Slap!

"Sango, what makes you think I was the culprit?"

I heard everything around me but I didn't want to open my eyes. I vaguely remember seeing Sesshomaru swinging the sword down onto my hand. And I vaguely remember being engulfed in purple light and having the same floating sensation whenever I traveled to the past and back.

I hope I was only dreaming.

Please tell me I'm dreaming.

Calm down Kagome...First thing's first...

Get your face out of the dirt and see if you're not missing any limbs.

My left eye peeked open.

My right hand was still there in one piece.

...Thank you, Kami-sama.

"Kagome? Kagome! What the hell is going on here? And you're on my leg!"

But if you truly loved me Kami-sama, you wouldn't have let all of this happen in the first place.

Maybe if I pretend that I'm dead, they'd let me be lying here face flat in the dirt for the next seven days.

No, be more optimistic, Kagome. Inuyasha's been here a few times and he doesn't really cause a lot of trouble...Much. Sango-chan and Miroku-sama are human so no one will think of them strangely...And to think! You had Rin with you remember! Yes! The cute little girl who is as sweet as an angel and will heed to your every word!

I smiled into the dirt as I pulled my left arm closer to me.

I embraced nothing but air.

My eyes snapped open and I hurriedly got to my feet as Inuyasha yelled curses below me.

"Rin-chan! Oh my god, she's missing!"

I started yelling incomprehensible words and freaking out until I realized Inuyasha was pointing a shaking finger to the ceiling as I paced back and forth on him. My gaze followed his finger.

Kami-sama...Do you really hate me that much?

"Sesshomaru-san! What are you doing here?"

He was on the frame of the well above us, Rin safely in his only arm and looking coldly down at me.

How the hell did he get here?

"It seems he has followed us right before the well closed," Miroku-sama explained, his eyes closed and nodding his head sincerely. "Snatched little Rin-chan out of your grip, Kagome-sama. It certainly must be the instincts of a man for his woman."

"Is that how your mind always work, Houshi-sama?"

No! No! NO!

I can't be stuck with Sesshomaru! Of all the demons back in the past it just had to be the hardest one to control!

I was still in temporary shock when Sesshomaru swiftly jumped into the well. He said nothing as he tapped the dirt with his foot. He looked at me.

"Miko, the well is closed."

Well, DUH!

"Yes, I know."

"Open it."

Do you think I'd be a common girl who follows some rude half-demon around like I am if I had the power to do that? No, I'd be stomping on Naraku and giving Kikyou a one way pass back to where she came from.

"I can't."

He glared at me. Sure, go on! Glare at me! You wouldn't dare to swing your sword because this well is a concealed spot so you'd be making the ceiling crash down on you too!

No, wait! What are you taking out your sword for! How can you even manage that with Rin-chan in your only arm? Um, think fast Kagome...

"Uh, Rin-chan! My god, you're hurt!"

I was only lying just to catch his guard off (Ha! It worked!) only to realize that she was really hurt. She must have scraped her shin while getting transported here.

I frantically crossed Inuyasha's back and made my way towards her.

"Rin is fine, Kagome-sama!" she cheerfully said. "Rin just needs to lick it!"

"What? No! Don't lick it, it's filthy! Whoever told you that?"

That's when I saw Sesshomaru shifting Rin closer to his face.

Actually Sesshomaru's mouth coming closer to Rin's shin.

I swiped her out of his grasp.

"What do you think you're doing? You might give her rabies!" I yelled, holding onto a surprised Rin-chan.

He glared at me and I had half the thought that he was going to cut me in pieces, but I was angry too.

"You don't just lick your injuries! What were you thinking! Teaching a young girl something as dirty as that!" I stomped my foot aggressively to make my point.

"Kagome...My back..." Inuyasha wheezed.

"Honestly!" I shouted. "You must be a grown man in demon age and here you are telling an innocent girl under your protection to lick her injuries like...Like some dog!"

"Kagome...Back..."

"Are you yelling at this Sesshomaru?"

What was it with him and the third-person point of view thing? So this was who Rin-chan got it from.

"Obviously I am!"

I guess he didn't expect a bold reply as mine because he didn't say anything. I glared and he merely looked at me with those annoyingly empty eyes.

"Ahem."

I noticed Miroku-sama sitting in the corner, making meek coughing sounds to get my attention. He first pointed to my feet. I looked at the trampled back of Inuyasha's hudoushi.

Oops.

I carefully stepped off from his battered body.

"I am quite confused, Kagome-sama," he said as he got up from his spot. "We had never been able to come through the well..."

"It's the time zone."

Sango-chan gave me a confused look along with Rin. Inuyasha's face was still in the dirt and Sesshomaru was still giving me that immobile face of his. Miroku-sama was the only one who seemed to have understood.

"Has it broken?"

Yes! Someone who knew about this time zone crap!

"Yes. Do you know how to get back?"

A bubble of hope formed inside of me.

"I was hoping that you would know."

The bubble popped.

"Keh! All we have to do is blast up this well!"

Inuyasha had gotten up at last and had his hand on the hilt of Tetseiga.

"Sit."

He crashed down back to the earth.

"Don't you dare do anything to the well, Inuyasha!" I scolded. "It's the only way back and if I ever find it blasted into smithereens, I'll make you sit for the rest of your life!"

"Kagome-chan," Sango-chan called as she examined the stone well walls, "are you saying we don't have a way to go back?"

Silence took place as everyone stared at me. I could feel a drop of sweat running down the back of my head.

"Um...Not technically..."

Rin let out a small sniffle.

"Kagome-sama? Rin can't go back to Jaken-sama? Rin has to feed Ah-Un too..."

"Not soon, Rin-chan," I whispered as I held onto her closer. I saw Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitch.

"Where are we, Kagome-sama? Rin wants to go back to Jaken-sama and Ah-Un with Sesshomaru-sama," she whimpered.

"You'll have to wait for a week, sweet. I'm sorry," I answered in a soft voice.

"A week?" Inuyasha's ears twitched madly. "What do you mean a week? We don't have time for that! Naraku could find the last Shikon piece while we're gone!"

"Well, I can't do anything about it," I answered as I glared at him. "The time zone heals in a week. That's if we're lucky. It might not even activate again for an eternity."

I let out a small sigh as I looked around me.

First there was Inuyasha... He'll listen to me as long as there's ramen in stock. And I can always make him sit if he gets out of hand...

Sango-chan and Miroku-sama is no problem...

Oh yeah...

I had the pompous demon who was capable of murdering all the citizens of Tokyo in one swing of his sword...

But hey, I have the key to control him right in my very arms.

This was going to be interesting.

"Okay, everyone!" I said as I shifted Rin-chan higher. "You are now five hundred years in the future and you better stick with me unless you want to die in the cold with an empty stomach."

Miroku-sama was immediately next to my side and Sango-chan arranged her Hiraikotsu (how did she even manage to bring that?) more firmly onto her back while Inuyasha let out a sound of disapproval but came closer to me nevertheless.

Only Sesshomaru remained where he was.

"Come on, Sesshomaru-san," I said, trying to be polite. "You may be used to the environment outdoors, but that's five hundred years ago. I know you don't approve of humans, but you still need a roof above your head."

"This Sesshomaru refuses to accompany such lowly humans."

"Keh! Let's ditch him Kagome and see how long he can survive here."

"Sit."

"If that's what you want Sesshomaru-san," I coldly said. "But I'm taking Rin-chan with me."

Another eyebrow twitched.

I ignored him and smiled down to Rin-chan.

"Rin-chan, I'm going to have to take you to my home so we can apply some medicine to your leg, all right? And you need to have your meal, it's way past dinner time."

"Arigatou, Kagome-sama!" she beamed. "Can Sesshomaru-sama come too?"

"Of course he can. But he doesn't seem like he wants to..."

"Sesshomaru-sama!" she called with a cheerful smile. "Can Rin and Sesshomaru-sama go to Kagome-sama's home?"

Ha! Look at him stiffen at the question!

"Please?" Rin-chan pleaded with a soft smile.

Finally, although a bit reluctantly, he came forward. He reached his arm over and Rin-chan immediately clambered into his embrace.

One rude hanyou, a perverted monk, a demon hunter, a kid, and a haughty demon...

Hey, it could've been worse.

"Well," I clapped my hands together. "Welcome to Tokyo."

* * *

**Vocabulary**

Arigatou - thank you

One of these days the Vocabulary list is going to depart, so it's best to learn them now. R&R!


	3. Welcome to the Higurashi's

**The Other Side**

**Chapter Three **

**- Welcome to the Higurashi's -**

"Kagome! Sango! Miroku!...Inuyasha!"

As our heroine Higurashi Kagome was putting her great vocal cords into use in a dinky little pit, a certain kitsune was yelling with all the energy he could muster into an empty well. A small cat demon was meowing away beside him.

"Sesshoooomaruuuu-samaaaaa!"

And across from our teary kitsune, a certain short green imp was doing the same.

As the two voices echoed pointlessly without a reply, an elderly woman hurried out of a nearby hut.

"Shippo, what happened?" She asked as she peered into the empty well herself. She dreaded to hear his answer.

The small fox demon looked back at her with a teary pair of green eyes.

"Kaede... Kagome and everyone left! Without me!"

"Left? What do you mean by left?"

"Sesshooooomaruuu-samaaaa!"

"Kagome was dangling on the edge of the well holding onto the girl called Rin and Sango and Miroku tumbled into it... And then Inuyasha tripped over me when I was trying to help Kagome out," the kitsune sniffled. "And then... Suddenly they were all gone!"

"How dare you not mention Sesshomaru-sama!" The imp suddenly intervened. "The worthless humans are in his royal presence!"

"I don't care about Sesshomaru!" The child snapped. "Everyone left without me!"

"Sesshomaru? Isn't that Inuyasha's brother?" The woman asked as she picked up the crying kitsune.

"Don't you dare relate Sesshomaru-sama with that pathetic hanyou!"

"You mean ALL of them fell into the well?" Kaede asked, incredulously. "ALL of them?"

"No..." the kitsune sniffled. "Sesshomaru jumped in there."

"Sesshomaru-SAMA to you!"

The fox demon merely stuck out his tongue at the squawking imp as the woman let out a sigh.

"I warned her..." she mumbled in an exasperated voice.

"Well, what's done is done...Come now," she added as she wiped the young demon's tears away,"Kagome and the others will be back pretty soon. We should all go back to the village for now. You too if you want to see your Sesshomaru-sama and the girl of yours." she added to the furious imp.

"She is NOT mine! She is...She is..."

The short green demon paused slightly, wondering what the best word would be in a situation he was in, but soon let out a squawk when he saw the retreating forms of the woman carrying the fox demon in her arms and the cat demon on her shoulder while the two-headed dragon ambled happily by her side.

He hurried after them.

* * *

"...No yelling, no pranks on Buyo, especially you Inuyasha, no exits without my permittion, no midnight snacks, no scaring away the guests who come to the shrine, no rackets, and most importantly no fighting," I concluded with a glare at the hostile dog demons. Rin-chan was already asleep on Sesshomaru's fur pelt while the others trekked along the steep road.

I was leading the group towards the house, purposely taking the long route around the shrine, as the sun was setting gradually. I felt uneasy. What if Mama didn't approve? What if Sesshomaru suddenly decided to blow up a few buildings because they were too bothersome? What if Miroku-sama really does leave a child in my time? ...Don't I have a history test tomorrow?

I could feel my stomach sinking lower as the roof of my house came into view.

"My, the hut looks very queer, Kagome-sama," Miroku-sama observed from behind me. "What are those square things?"

"Square things?"

"The ones that are gleaming with light."

"Oh... Those are called windows."

"Windows?" Sango-chan asked.

"Yes."

"What does it do?" Miroku-sama asked curiously.

...What does it do?

"Um... It allows you to see outside from the inside."

"Pardon?"

"Um...Oh, we're here!"

Not that I was actually that enthusiastic as I sounded.

I caught a whiff of the smell of soup as I slid opened the door. Mama was probably in the kitchen at this time. Oji-chan must be in the living room watching television and Souta would be...

Speak of the devil. I heard his footsteps pit-patting on the stairs as soon as the whole group entered the house.

"Kagome-nechan! Did you bring Inuya-"

He stopped abruptly on the stairs as he caught sight of the unusually large crowd of guests. He slowly took a step back.

"Oh, is Kagome here?" Ojii-chan sounded very excited as he came out to the hallway, "Did you bring any more-"

He looked flabbergasted as he froze in his spot.

"Kagome-chan?" Mama's soft voice was coming closer to the hallway. "Did you have a good time?"

She soon appeared inthe doorway of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, but stopped when she noticed how the front doorway was quite crowded than usual.

Oji-chan please don't gawk at me like that. Souta don't run away, I swear I won't bite. Mama... Help me, please.

Miroku-sama was the first to move.

He kneeled before my mother and held her hand.

"My beautifiul lady, would you please bear my child?"

Usually, Sango-chan would have acted first, but this time I was the one who whacked him hard on the head.

"Miroku-sama! She's my MOTHER!" I yelled.

"I certainly know where you got your good looks, Kagome-sama."

"You stay away from her!"

"Oh, my! This is very soft! It's exactly like the one in our garage!"

I could hear my neck snapping as I looked to my right to see Ojii-chan already next to Sesshomaru, stroking his fur pelt. I also noticed a pair of dangerously narrowed eyes.

"My, the wonderful feeling! Young man, would you like to contribute this to the shrine?"

I quickly pulled Ojii-chan away.

"Ojii-chan, we don't need another one of those," I muttered.

"Of course we need a spare! You don't know how cold it gets in there in the winter, Kagome!"

"Meyow!"

"Inuyasha! I told you not to bother Buyo!" I yelled.

"I wasn't doing- ow! You little-!"

"Sit!"

"Kagome-sama? Are we there?" I heard a sleepy voice behind me.

"Yes, we're here, Rin-chan. Why don't you come- No, don't turn around so fast, Sango-chan!"

"Huh?"

I heard a crash of a vase breaking into many discrete pieces. Probably the vase that was positioned right next to the end of Hiraikotsu.

"Merow!"

"Buyo!"

"Step away from this Sesshomaru human or you will find your head decapitated."

"Damn furball!"

"Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Kagome-chan?"

"Inuyasha!"

"What!"

"Sit!"

And out of all the commotion of snarling, crashing, and yelling I managed to hear the most welcoming words.

"I hope you like steak."

I looked up to see Mama smiling softly.

"I'll have to heat more soup. Could you help me in the kitchen, Kagome-chan? And Souta, please take care of the broken vase. Oji-san, why don't you lead our guests to the living room for now?"

I never thought Mama looked more angelic in my life.

"Arigatou, Mama," I sighed.

She merely smiled.

"Welcome to the Higurashi's."

* * *

"Psst, Nechan?"

"It's no use whispering, Souta. They can hear you from here. The living room isn't a mile away."

"Oh."

I was stirring the miso soup with a ladle as Mama brewed more sauce in the pan. Souta was clinging onto my apron as if he was afraid that I would abandon him.

"Is the man with the rat tail the monk with the hole in his hand?"

"Yes."

"The one with the perverted mind?"

"...Pass me the spoon."

"And what about that big boomerang?" he asked, completely ignoring my request. "Can the lady kill demons with it?"

"Yes, and she can knock you senseless if you keep hindering me from giving them their dinn-...Hey, come to think of it... They already had their dinner!"

"But it can get so tiring when one is traveling time back and forth, Kagome-chan," Mama said as she tasted the sauce, "and the little one looked like she could use some food..."

"You mean Rin-chan? Isn't she cute Mama? Can we keep her?"

"Yes, she is certainly cute," she smiled. "But I'm sure her father won't approve of us keeping her here."

"...Father?"

"Yes, the silver haired one without the doggy ears."

...Father? If Sesshomaru really is her father, I'm going to kidnap Rin-chan for her sake.

"I wonder where her mother is..." she said thoughtfully, "Surely her mother didn't abandon such a sweet child... Or maybe...Oh! Maybe the father's a neutral demon? Like snails!"

"Wow, that's even more cooler than those mushrooms!" Souta whistled. "Is he really neutral, nechan?"

"...Pass the salt, please."

* * *

**Vocabulary  
**  
**Nechan** - Older sister

**Oji-chan** - Grandpa

**Mama** - Mom

Ah yes... The wonderful memories of all the files of my computer flying away just flew into my mind while I was writing this. R&R please...


	4. Of Soy Sauce and Pepper

**The Other Side  
****  
Chapter Four **

**- Of Soy Sauce and Pepper** -

"Well, the dinner table has never been this crowded before."

No, it certainly never has, Ojii-chan.

We were all encircling the two square low wooden tables in the living room instead of our comfortable dining table in the kitchen due to the fact that Miroku-sama did not go well with the chairs (he declared that it was just plain "queer" to have to bend his knees). Every one of us was either missing elbow space or leg room (with the exception of Rin-chan because she was sitting on my lap) except for one.

"Sesshomaru-san? Are you sure you don't want to join us?"

The oh mighty demon lord was seated in the corner of the living room, staring pointlessly at the wall. He glared at me when I called him (probably still hating me for coaxing Rin away from him to the dinner table).

"This Sesshomaru does not eat human food," he coldly replied.

"There's human food and demon food now?" Inuyasha sneered in his seat next to me.

"I'll personally rip your obnoxious mouth of yours if you don't shut it yourself, hanyou."

"Now, now. Dinner is not a time to be bellicose," Mama interrupted as she passed around the soy sauce. The small bottle of black liquid was passed to Oji-chan then to Miroku-sama.

He blinked.

"Excuse me, Kagome-sama, but what may this be?" he asked as he held up the small bottle.

"Oh, that would be soy sauce," I said as I dumped a small pile of salad onto my dish, "There was soy sauce back then wasn't there?"

"Yes, I know it's soy suace, but I wasn't talking about the substance inside this...Clear...Hard...Mysterious thing... but I was actually referring to this clear hard mysterious thing."

"...Excuse me?"

"I think he's talking about the plastic container, Kagome-chan," Mama explained. Souta snickered quietly and reached for the pepper bottle.

"Oh...Well, that would be plastic, Miroku-sama," I replied. "Dip the bottle over your soup and push the red cork on the cover."

"Cork?"

"Um...That bump thing...Yes, there you go."

"Kagome-chan, what is this?"

I looked up to see Sango-chan examining the pepper bottle curiously. What was it with these people from five hundred years ago and containers for spices?

"That would be pepper."

"Pepper?"

Wasn't there pepper back in those times? Oh god, I'm going to fail that history test.

"Yes, you spray it over your steak if you want to give it a spicy flavor."

"Steak?"

"That flat brown thing on your plate."

"Oh, it is called a steak?" Miroku-sama asked as he peered at his food, "It looks very familiar to the liver of the centipede demon Inuyasha encountered yesterday."

Souta silently pushed his meat away from him and started saddling heaps of salad onto his plate.

"No, it does-...Miroku-sama, what are you doing?"

He was currently humming and pouring soy sauce into his soup so that it looked like ink, making the whole mixture reach up to the brim of his bowl.

"I am adding sauce in my soup," he answered with a proud smile.

No, you are having fun with the soy sauce bottle.

"My, my, I think someone needs a spoon," Mama smiled.

"Spune?" Miroku-sama's eyes lit up at the new word. His twinkling eyes told me not to take my chances.

"Actually, I think he'll prefer a new bowl of soup, Mama," I quickly said.

"Well, then I should season it again," Miroku-sama chirped with excitement.

"No soy sauce for you, Miroku-sama," I said as I glared at him. Mama laughed as she left for the kitchen.

"Whoa!"

Somehow I knew something was wrong when Souta let out a yell.

I looked across the table to see Sango-chan holding the pepper bottle.

Which was missing the cover.

My eyes traveled down to her dish and as I expected, saw a heap of pepper sprayed over her steak.

"All right, who unscrewed the pepper bottle?" I asked as I glared at Souta.

"It wasn't me," he replied with wide eyes. I was planning to make him confess, but a loud sneeze interrupted me.

Inuyasha's eyes were turning slight pink and he was coughing uncontrollably. He kept letting out small snorts as if trying to get something out of his nose.

"Oh no, Inuyasha's allergic to pepper," I groaned. "Are you all right?"

"Keph- cough- I'm- fine," he sneezed.

"Common side effects of unfinished projects," Sesshomaru commented from his corner. I swear, there was a faint smirk on that poker face.

"I'll- wheeze- amputate your leg, you son of a-"

"Inuyasha! Language!" I yelled as he got up from his seat.

I was about to get up and sit him back down, when his knee bumped into the table and spilled the hot soup all over Rin -chan's lap. She let out a surprised cry and I could see Sesshomaru was getting pissed off.

"Inuyasha!"

He ignored me, his eyes blood shot(from the pepper) and teeth bared. He wrenched out Tetseiga from its sheath and growled towards his brother, who accepted the challenge immediately by standing up and facing him. Oji-chan gasped at the massive sword. asking if he wanted to donate it to the shrine, as Souta started marveling out loud. Buyo seemed to be uneasy with the yougi the two demons were letting out and started meowing loudly. Rin-chan was shifting in my lap, due to the hot liquid that had drenched her yukata and Sango-chan was slapping Miroku-sama in the face as a demerit for his wandering hand.

Everything was beginning to seem like an angry buzz. I could sense a fight between those belligerent brothers and as I mentally listed down the things I had to do in the next ten seconds, which included taking an aspirin, I cracked and decided to follow my instincts.

"Sit!"

I'm not sure what happened next. There was a loud yell, followed by a few shouts, and soon the table was upturned, food all over the people and room, a light fog of dust engulfing everyone into dusky air, and Inuyasha in a quite uncomfortable looking position. Mama looked quite surprised at the doorway, her apron splattered with several droplets of salad dressing, holding a tray of tea and a bowl of soup. Everyone in the room was either flecked with white salad dressing or brown sticky barbecue sauce.

Everyone's eyes were on me as I scowled.

"Dinner is officially over."

* * *

Hi there to all those wonderful people who decided to spend time reading this incredibly short update. I shower you with millions of thanks to even bother reading this story.I'm running quite behind these days with my writer's block staring at me in the face and my exams just waiting to pounce on me around the corner. Reviews may be nice.


	5. Oyasumi Nasai

**The Other Side**

**Chapter Five **

**- Oyasumi Nasai -**

I let out an exhausted sigh as I sank lower into the tub. The bathroom was quiet with the exception of Rin-chan's giggles as Sango-chan rubbed the shampoo bubbles in her hair.

"Don't get bubbles into her eyes, Sango-chan," I mumbled with my eyes closed. "You know what happened to Shippo."

"Right," Sango-chan giggled back.

It felt quite nice to get mayonnaise out of my hair. I was getting this feeling that the bath I was taking was going to be the only good thing that was going to happen to me this week.

"Kagome-sama?"

I peeked an eye open to see Rin looking at me with a smile, the shampoo bubbles still piled on her hair. I couldn't help but to laugh as I reached for the shower to remove the shampoo.

"Yes, Rin-chan?" I asked as I turned on the water.

"Can Sesshomaru-sama join us too?"

I sat rigid and blinked a several times.

"I think that's a no, Rin-chan," Sango-chan smiled.

"Oh."

"No, it means over my dead body," I grumbled as I brought the shower up to her hair.

Sometimes it makes me wonder how Sesshomaru brought her up...

* * *

As our exhausted heroine Higurashi Kagome was taking a nice, relaxing bath without worrying about a certain peeping monk, two men from five hundred years ago were quietly traveling under the shadows of the trees, one busy on his way and the other looking wistfully at the open window where steam poured out and giggles were heard. 

"It's such a tragedy that the doors here in Kagome-sama's time are made of thicker substance than paper," he said with a disappointed frown.

"Could you hurry up?" His companion growled ahead of him. "This may be our only chance."

Miroku sighed and trotted up to his disgruntled partner.

"Inuyasha, do you really think we're doing the right thing?" he asked as they walked side by side. "Leaving the girls behind?"

"Of course we're doing the right thing," Inuyasha snorted. "Naraku is getting more violent by the second and they're not capable of handling him, no matter what they say. Besides, Kagome said that the well opens again after a week. We're just going to go ahead, that's all. With luck, we can finish off the twerp before they return."

"But Kagome-sama said that the time zone has snapped. I've heard something about it when I was a child Inuyasha, nothing can fix it besides nature."

"We've at least got to try!" the half-demon retorted before speeding off.

The huge shrine was quiet and dimly lit. The two stealthily moved from shadow to shadow, only the soft twinkling sounds of the rings on Miroku's staff.

"...It's quite intimidating here," Miroku commented as he eyed the swaying dark trees.

"I didn't know you were afraid of shrines." Inuyasha smirked. "And you call yourself a monk."

"Well, excuse me," Miroku huffed as they reached the door to the well house. "You may have been here several times Inuyasha, but I on the other hand am unfamiliar with Kagome-sama's time. Back in our time, I would know what is behind every tree in the forest, obviously a demon or a human, but currently I have no clue what could be behind this door."

Inuyasha paused as his fingers were about to slide about the door. He looked back at his companion with a nervous look.

"I'll tell you what's behind the door," he said in a low voice.

Miroku leaned closer. Inuyasha darted his eyes around him and slowly moistened his lips before whispering.

"A well."

Miroku gave Inuyasha a dry look as the half-demon chuckled.

"Seriously, Miroku." He rolled his eyes. "What else would there be? There's nothing behind this door besides our way back to clobber Naraku."

He slid the door open.

"GONICHIWA!"

An exuberant face greeted Inuyasha, causing him to yell in surprise and stumble backwards, tripping over Miroku and falling hard onto the ground.

"Kagome said that you two would come to help! Now, organize those vases by their era."

Kagome's grandfather hummed merrily as he returned to his task of dusting the shelves, a handkerchief adorning his white head.

"I decided to display all the vases in the well house so that everyone can view them as soon as they climb out of the well!" He called over his shoulder.

Inuyasha then noticed the high pile of vases all stacked over each other in the corner of the room.

"We have over two hundred vases!" He spread his arms to indicate that the pile of vases that Inuyasha was eyeing was not the only one. Three more mountains of pottery and vases were stacked up haphazardly around the well.

"Oh, right! Kagome also said that if you two don't help me... Erm...What did she say...Oh, yes. I believe she said something about sitting and no entrance to the house."

He turned to see them still staring dumbfound at him.

"Well, get on moving! We don't have all night!"

Inuyasha was still staring at the heaps of pottery.

Something snapped inside of him.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Sango asked bewildered. 

"Hm...?" Kagome asked as she sank deeper into the warm water, her eyes closed.

"I think I just heard someone call you from outside, Kagome-chan." Sango peeked out the window. "And if I heard right, it sounded like Inuyasha."

Indeed, the hanyou's faint cries of frustration could be heard.

"Oh, right..." The raven haired girl smiled. "I'm sure he's having a fun time with Oji-chan. Best not to bother him by answering back."

Sango looked at her peaceful friend with a quizzical look then merely went back to soaping her arms.

* * *

"Well, this is the smallest shirt I have in my closet." 

Rin-chan's head poked out of the long-sleeved shirt. I pulled the rest of the clothing down to realize that it was big enough to be a dress. Rin-chan gave me a toothy grin and held up her hands, the big sleeves covering her whole limbs.

"Arigatou, Kagome-sama!"

Oh, Kami-sama why couldn't Souta be this cute?

I just couldn't resist when she hugged the only part of me she could reach, which were my legs. I picked her up and nuzzled her cheek.

"Why don't we go down and see how the men are doing?" I asked with a smile.

Rin-chan nodded, her damp hair coming loose from the hasty ponytail I had tied for her.

"Sango-chan? Are you done yet?" I called.

"Kagome-chan, I'm still not sure how to um...Why is this clothing divided anyways?"

I looked over my shoulder to find her wearing the pajamas I had given her. She had the pants on all right, but she was apparently having a hard time dealing with the buttons.

"You put the buttons- the white round things- through the holes."

"Like this?"

She struggled with a button and finally managed to put it through. Just in the wrong slit.

"You have to close it so the buttons can be parallel," I giggled. "You're going to deal with more clothing like that so I won't help you this time. We'll be back soon."

I skipped out the door with Rin-chan in my arms and headed down the stairs. I heard the front door sliding open.

"Thank you for helping me, boys. If it weren't for you two, I'd be still out there in the cold trying to reach the top shelf!" Oji-chan exclaimed with a jubliant voice.

Miroku-sama offered a tired smile, but Inuyasha simply trudged through the door and into the house. The two of them were covered in a light coat of dust and black substances that looked like ink were smudged on their faces. I couldn't help but to snicker at their appearances. Inuyasha gave me a glare as I jumped down the last stairs.

"You told your grandfather we would help him set up vases?" Inuyasha hissed.

"Yes, but I don't remember mentioning it to you two..." I replied as I tried to look thoughtful. "You three must have met at the shrine. I know Oji-chan was planning to go there after dinner, but what were you two doing there?"

I gave him a bright smile as he glowered at me.

He gave me one of his "Keh!" and mumbled they were just taking a walk.

When we reached the living room, Mama had already finished spreading out the quilts and pillows on the floor. The table was leaning on the west wall and Sesshomaru was still sitting in the corner, supercilious as ever. Rin-chan was already squirming in my arms, so I let her down. She immediately ran over to her guardian, giving him a hug on his leg before rambling about the shirt I had her wear.

"You two are going to sleep here," I said as I watched Rin giggling in excitement.

I smiled as I watched her twirl around to show him how big the shirt was.

Oh...Wait...Speaking of clothes...

I carefully studied Sesshomaru's clean outfit and turned my head back to the two behind me.

"Why is it that Sesshomaru-san's attire is much cleaner than you two?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"WE organized vases," Inuyasha growled.

"You have MAYONNAISE on your hudoushi. Mama's going to have a hard time doing the laun-...Oh Kami-sama...What will you two wear while your clothes are being washed?"

"They can wear your father's clothes."

I looked behind me to find Mama carrying a heap of Otou-san's old clothes.

"...Are you sure... Mama?" I asked tentatively.

"Oh yes, it is quite nice to take them out of the box for a change..."

I felt horrible whenever Mama had to talk about Otou-san. He passed away such a long time ago that I sometimes forget his face these days, but Mama always spent a half an hour before going to bed to pray for Otou-san.

"I guess we'll have to live with that," Inuyasha said gruffly as he accepted the clothing.

"Sit." I spat out.

He landed in a heap with the clothes flying everywhere.

"What was that for?" He yelled.

"THAT was for being insensitive," I huffed and walked into the living room.

Rin-chan ran over to me with a bright smile on her face. She came to an abrupt stop in front of me, exhilarated as ever.

"Rin and Sesshomaru-sama are ready to sleep now!" She chirped.

"Then let's get you into bed and Sesshomaru-san can sleep here," I answered as I picked her up.

"WHAT!"

"Miko."

I received quite disapproving comments from the two enraged brothers. Sesshomaru was currently giving me a threatening look and Inuyasha was growling behind me. Big deal. I had Rin-chan in my arms and the word "sit" at the tip of my tongue.

"Well, there is no space up in my room," I replied with a slightly annoyed tone, "and the girls need a bit of privacy since there is a certain SOMEONE and the living room is quite big enough to fit all you three in."

"Kagome," Inuyasha scowled as he got up from the floor. "You think that bastard's going to stay still at night? He's after tetseiga remember?"

"Sesshomaru-sama won't hurt anybody, don't worry Inuyasha-sama!" Rin chirped up.

"Need not to call him with such a high name, Rin."

"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama!"

"See, Rin-chan says Sesshomaru-san won't hurt you, so he won't. Besides," I added when he gave me an incredulous look, "he has the common sense to know that if he does anything intolerable in my standards, he has no chance on returning back."

Sesshomaru made no reply, but I could see that I had just said the magic words. I smiled.

"Now, does anyone else have complaints about the room arrangements?"

"I do," Inuyasha growled.

"Sit."

"Do you have anything to say, Miroku-sama?"

He vigorously shook his head with wide eyes.

"Well, then. Oyasumi nasai, everyone. WE are going to bed."

I marched past the two and headed towards the stairs.

"I expect the living room not to be in a heap of debris in the morning!" I called. "Sleep tight!"

I could hear the annoyed growls from Inuyasha and the nervous laughs of Miroku-sama even at the top of the stairs. When I opened to door to my room, I found Sango still working on the buttons with an exasperated look and disheveled hair that seemed to have been pulled at in frustration.

This is going to be a long week...

* * *

**Vocabulary:**

**Gonichiwa **- Good evening

**Oyasumi Nasai** - Good night

The next chapter... In which Kagome finally experiences probably her best time of the joyful week she has before her. And let us not forget the "family" meeting which gets interrupted with a quite dreadful call.

Hope you enjoyed!


	6. Of Family Meetings and Triangular Shoes

**The Other Side**

**Chapter Six**

**- Of Family Meetings and Triangular Shoes -**

"There we go."

I tucked Rin-chan into the bed after making sure the pillow was fluffed up all right. The night was quiet (after a few shouts and shuffles from a certain room downstairs) with only the distant crying crickets to be heard. Sango-chan was fast asleep on the quilts I had spread on the ground as a bed for the both of us. The only light on in my room was from the nightstand on the desk.

Rin-chan snuggled in deeper into the quilts and flashed me a smile.

"Arigatou, Kagome-sama," she said in a sleepy voice. "Oyasumi nasai..."

"Oyasumi, Rin-chan," I whispered as her eyelids drooped closed.

I smiled and carefully made my way to my desk, careful not to step on the layers of quilts. Slowly, I seated myself in front of the desk and stared at the pile of history notes Hojo had so kindly left for me a few days ago (along with a large box of cucumbers. Something that was supposed to be good for my complexion, according to the note I found stuck on the side).

"Kagome-chan?"

Sango-chan's sleepy voice interrupted my train of thoughts that were running haywire inside of me.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" She asked as she squinted in the light of the nightstand.

"Gomen, Sango-chan," I said as I lowered the top of the nightstand to keep the light from her, "but I have a history test tomorrow."

"Oh... The test things again?" She mumbled as she plopped her head back onto her pillow. "Are they that important?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"A lot."

"More than Inuyasha?"

My cheeks colored and I looked back to see Sango-chan's eyes closed and her lips curled into a smile.

"Um...Boy, it's getting late. Oyasumi, Sango-chan."

She chuckled and I could still feel the blush creeping up my neck as I hastily flipped my history book open. Glancing at the digital clock, I noticed it was a little past eleven. I picked up a pen, wondering if Hojo's notes would be any help, and started to read.

* * *

The House of Akita and Natashiku collided for territorial reasons, like always, in 1898- oh wait - 1989... Huh?

But hey, look at the bright side, Kagome. You have only...Thirty three pages more to memorize.

Oh, Kami-sama, I'm going to die...

I slowly slid my arms onto the desk and rested my head, staring at the thick textbook and notes before me.

Tears stung my eyes and the words became blurred. I excelled in all my classes before I found out about the well. I used to be the one who lended notes to others. I work till my wits end to help save the people back in the Federal Era... Who were already dead in my time. I would be leading a happy, carefree life if I hadn't gone through that god for saken well.

Frustration and depression was getting better of me.

I don't know how long I stayed there like that, but I soon found myself hearing tapping noises. I looked up, tears streaked on my cheeks and was quite surprised to find Inuyasha on the roof in front of my window. As silently as I could, I slid the window open.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" He immediately asked in a voice I thought had a tint of concern.

"Nothing...And keep your voice down," I whispered back.

"You rarely cry, Kagome," he scowled. "What the hell is bothering you?"

"...Let's talk outside. I need some fresh air anyways."

I was planning on going outside through the front door like I normally did, but Inuyasha held out a hand. I looked at him questioningly.

"It's faster through the window," he grumbled as he pulled my hand.

I clambered through the window as silently as I could and closed it behind me, blocking the chilly wind from encroaching into the warmth of my room. I sat down and hugged my knees with a sigh and Inuyasha gruffly took a seat next to me.

We didn't speak for a while as we both listened to the distant sounds of the crickets chirping and the soft howling of the wind.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" I finally broke the silence with a small sniff.

"You really think I'll sleep in front of that bastard?" He growled.

"Miroku-sama seems to be sound asleep," I pointed out.

"Keh... I don't need much sleep anyways."

"Does this 'I don't need sleep or food because of the demon blood that runs in my veins' thing run in your family?"

"What?" He snapped back.

"No, nothing."

I let the conversation drop and we sat there for a while once again in an awkward silence. The night was getting darker by the second, not to mention colder. I unconsciously shivered under my thin bed clothes. It was then I noticed that Inuyasha had shifted closer so that he was sitting right next to me and fumbling on the strings of his hudoushi.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a light blush creeping up my neck.

He didn't answer but continued unknotting the strings until he finally took his hudoushi off and handed it towards me.

"Wear it," he answered gruffly. "You're cold aren't you?"

I looked at the hudoushi in his hand and stared at him.

Until I noticed his cheeks coloring red.

I let out a giggle.

"What?" He snapped.

"You're blushing," I chuckled.

"Am not, wench."

Usually I would make him sit for that, but I decided to forgive him just this once.

Just because he was being so cute. I smiled.

"Inuyasha, you're bare-chested in the moonlight in the middle of November. I'm sure I'm not as cold as you're going to be in the next few minutes," I insisted as I gently pushed his hand away.

He let out a "keh" and put it over his shoulders, but before I could react he pulled me towards him so that my face was in contact with his collarbone.

"Um... What are you doing?" I asked, blushing deep red.

"Just keep still," he gruffly said.

I did as I was told and soon felt his warmth clearing away the goose bumps that had been crawling up my arms. His right arm went around mine and he gently tucked my head under his chin. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Arigatou, Inuyasha," I whispered.

He didn't answer but I could feel the sudden heat radiating off of him. Especially from his face.

I stifled a giggle, earning an embarrassed glare, and stared at the brightly glowing moon that was gradually coming out of the dark shadows of the forest.

This was... Quite nice.

I guess the bath I took is going to be a runner-up in my list of best things that happened to me this week.

Sitting here with Inuyasha is going to take first place.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the forest. And then the roof. And then Inuyasha dozing next to me.

And then everything hit me full blast.

"Oh, my KAMI-SAMA!"

I jumped out of Inuyasha's arm and scrambled to the window, leaving a bewildered Inuyasha calling after me.

I quickly - and clumsily - slid myself through the window and looked at the alarm clock next to my bed, which dreadfully showed me that I was forty-five minutes tardy for my first class, which was history.

Panicking, I exited the room and headed downstairs, ignoring Sango-chan's slurred calls.

"Mama!" I cried as soon as I entered the kitchen.

Mama looked at me with a slightly surprised look on her face and a ladle in her hand. The morning's stew was boiling on the stove and the tea kettle was shrilly whistling.

"Ohaiyou, Kagome-chan. What's wrong?"

"Mama, it's 9:15," I groaned.

"And?"

"I'm late for school and I have a history test first class."

"But today's a Sunday."

...Huh?

"Yes, it's Sunday, Kagome-chan," Mama chuckled as she pointed to the calendar under the clock. My eyes trailed down and landed on a red number. Today's date.

"Oh..." Suddenly I felt completely stupid.

"Well, now that you're up, why don't you wake everybody? Oh, and Houshi-sama and Oji-chan went to the shrine early in the morning."

Miroku-sama at the shrine early in the morning? A bit puzzling, but I trudged towards the living room. I carefully rapped on the wooden frame of the sliding doors, only to find the room unoccupied and the quilts already put away in the closet.

Well, what did I expect? Miroku-sama was at the shrine, Inuyasha on the room and-

I could feel my blood turn cold when a smirking poker face of someone flashed in my mind. I sprinted upstairs and headed for my room.

"Sango-chan! Sesshomaru is-"

But I soon found out where the missing inu youkai was.

For anyone who still didn't have a clue, let's say Sango-chan was in her tensed battle position, Inuyasha snarling from the windowsill, and Sesshomaru was currently picking up a sleeping Rin-chan into his arms.

"Um...I understand what you two are doing, but what are YOU doing, Sesshomaru-san?"

He didn't answer but continued wrapping the fluffy white pelt securely over Rin-chan's sleeping form. Once he was finished, he looked at me straight in the eye.

"We, as in Rin and this Sesshomaru, are leaving."

"You know you've just announced the impossible right?"

"It may be probable if the time link is contriturated."

Time link..? Contriturate?

...Oh shit.

"You're pulverizing the well?" Inuyasha growled.

"If this Sesshomaru has to put it in simple words to get them through your thick skull, yes, half-breed, I am going to disintegrate the well," Sesshomaru sneered. He made his way towards the door, where I stood.

I remained standing in my place.

"Move, miko," he ordered with an impassive face.

"If you destroy the well," I said quietly, "anyone, human or demon, can get access to my time and five hundred years back."

"And that would concern this Sesshomaru in any way because?" His golden eyes flashed scarlet for a split second.

"Then you'll only be widening the borders where Naraku can hide within."

I almost thought that his cold gaze could bore a hole into me. Nobody made a move as he silently looked down at me from his alarming height. Not even Inuyasha made a move to stop him, just waiting to see what Sesshomaru would do. All was dead silent until the faint sounds of Oji-chan laughing with Miroku-sama was heard from outside and Rin-chan started to shift under Sesshomaru's fur pelt.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin-chan's words were a bit slurry as her head poked out of the white fur. She sleepily rubbed her right eye with a small fist. "Rin's leg hurts."

I notcied that the scratch on Rin-chan's shin was slowly healing, but the skin was a bit blue and red. I should apply something to that.

"We should talk about this later, Sesshomaru-san. No..." I paused, suddenly faced with a disturbing problem before me.

I eyed Sesshomaru's attire and then slightly leaned to the right to see Inuyasha's red fire-rat. And then I remembered how Sango-chan had a hard time with buttons.

"Actually, we should all have a talk downstairs in the living room," I sighed. "We have a week ahead of us and a lot to talk about..."

* * *

"First, I would like to talk about the issue of clothes."

We were all sitting in the living room (my a-bit-nosy family members excluded) as I officially announced the beginning of our...Family... Meeting. Yes, that would be the best word. Family meeting. One big, happy family.

"Ahem..."

I would have wanted a bit more friendlier atmosphere (How could anyone call this current atmosphere friendly when Sesshomaru was letting out a don't-touch-me-or-you'll-be-sliced-in-half-except-for-Rin aura in one corner and Inuyasha was grumbling that blasting up the well would be far much better than being stuck here in the other corner? The only person in the room who was in a happy mood was Miroku-sama, mainly because he was currently fascinated with a dead light bulb he found in the shrine), but I decided that I was satisfied with the living room being in one piece.

"I would like to ask the three men why they are not wearing the clothes Mama generously offered."

Inuyasha flinched and Miroku-sama stopped fiddling with the light bulb in his hand for a split second. Sesshomaru said nothing.

"I'm waiting for an answer."

"...We find them...Very uncomfortable, Kagome-sama," Miroku-sama tentatively said.

"Most of them were sweatpants. They should be quite comfortable."

"Sweatpants?" Miroku-sama gave me a puzzled look.

"Why don't I hear an elaborate reason of why they're uncomfortable."

All three men said nothing.

"They just _are_ uncomfortable." Inuyasha shifted in his seat. "We'll wear it when it's compulsory, but not on unrequired occasions."

I exchanged looks with Sango-chan then looked back at the three of them.

"Fine... Then I would like to say something about shoes."

Miroku-sama looked at his feet, which were bare. Inuyasha's were always bare and Sango-chan wore socks. Confused, they followed my gaze until their eyes landed on what had been quite on my nerves ever since yesterday.

"Have you got something to say about this Sesshomaru's footwear?"

"Uh, yes." I replied frankly. "You've been wearing them all over the house and I wouldn't be surprised if I found a footprint or two on the quilts you stepped on this morning."

"If you are asking this Sesshomaru to remove the shoes, he refuses," he huffed.

"He's probably cautious about his foot odor," Inuyasha snickered.

Souta's comic book that had been strewn on the floor near Sesshomaru, suddenly was hurled to collide with Inuyasha's head. He snarled and pulled out Tetseiga.

"You've asked for it, you-"

"Sit!" I ran across the living room and stood between the sprawled Inuyasha and his smirking brother.

"Honestly, Sesshomaru-san," I argued, "you're going to have to take them off one day or another. I mean... They're...Um..." I paused, thinking of something to point out that would eventually make him take the shoes off until I noticed something I never had before. "Triangular...?"

At this, Miroku-sama leaned to his side to take a good look at Sesshomaru's shoes.

"You're quite right, Kagome-sama. They are triangular," he observed.

"Don't they hurt your toes?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"That is none of your business, miko."

I couldn't retort to that because he was actually right, but then Rin-chan shifted in her place on Sesshomaru's fur pelt still half-asleep and snuggled closer to her guardian.

"Rin likes Sesshomaru-sama's shoes..." She mumbled with a sleepy smile.

Oh, mystery solved. Now you have an answer to why he won't take them off, Kagome, but you need a plan that'll _make_ him take them off.

"But still, Rin-chan, they're...Um... Well, triangular." I was slowly getting the thought that the queer shape of Sesshomaru's shoes wasn't going to get me anywhere, when Oji-chan suddenly came into the living room.

"Triangular shoes? Now _that's_ something that will attract more people to the shrine! Ah, young man! Why not contributing the shoes instead of the fur pelt?"

"Wait, Oji-chan-"

"Breakfast's ready!" Mama called from the kitchen.

"Just a second, Mama!" I called back. "Oji-chan stop staring at his shoes- wait, Sesshomaru-san don't take out your sword!"

That was when I heard the distant ringing of the phone over all the commotion in the room.

"Souta! Souta, get the phone!" I yelled.

Souta, however, had chosen that morning to sleep in and the constant ringing was not helping me recovering from the margarine that was coming up. I groaned.

"Inuyasha, keep Sesshomaru from doing anything!" I called behind me as I ran for the telephone in the hall.

"Oi, Kagome!"

I ignored him and grabbed the receiver.

"Moshi moshi?" I asked a bit breathlessly.

"Kagome-chan!" A familiar voice shouted on the other line.

"Um, who, uh... Eri?"

"Who else?" Eri laughed. "So I guess you're all better from the Dermatitis Herpetiformis!"

Huh?

"Your grandfather told us your skin was getting all red and swollen... Everyone's worried about you. Are you all right?"

Why couldn't Oji-chan just say I got the flu? So this was why Hojo-kun brought those box of cucumbers.

"Yeah, I'm all right. Arigatou." I felt quite touched that a few people were concerned about me.

"Well, great! Hey, actually we, as in Yuka, Ayumi, and me, came to see if you were all right and guess who we met?"

"Who? Wait, did you just say you were coming-"

"We met Hojo-kun!"

My blood went cold at the name. I stood, speechless, unaware of the crashes and screeches from Buyo from the living room.

"He was on his way to your home to give you something and we met at the entrance of the shrine!"

"Wait, you guys are at the shrine?" I was dreading her answer.

"Yup, and we're on our way towards your home, so just stay put!"

"Well, actually, um, Eri, the Dermatus or whatever Oji-chan called it is highly contagious, so it's best if you just-"

"Don't you worry a thing! Hojo-kun already gave all of us masks and gloves and Yuka even brought anti-biotic soap," Eri said cheerfully.

"Oh, uh... That's nice..."

"We'll be right there in a few seconds! See you soon!"

I was still frozen in my spot for a few seconds even after Eri hung up on me. I eyed the receiver in my hand before I let it drop.

I sprinted back to the living room.

"Get off my leg, you filthy excuse for a fuzz ball!" Inuyasha was yelling as he tried prying Buyo off his leg.

"Inuyasha, kindly remove your foot from my light bulb you just shattered."

"Monk, I couldn't care less of what happened to-"

Slap!

"Houshi-sama, how many times do I have to slap you before you stop groping my thighs?"

"I swear I didn't, Sango."

As Inuyasha finally managed to pry Buyo's claws off his pants, I grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room.

"Wha-? Kagome, what are-"

"Everybody go back upstairs, NOW!" I yelled as I pushed Inuyasha towards the staircase. I ran back into the living room. The most conspicuous people had to leave the room. Meaning Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru-san, you have to go upstairs," I rushed out in one breath as I lead a puzzled Miroku-sama out the room. I pushed him up the stairs, ignoring Inuyasha's irritated looks he was giving me in the middle of the staircase. I vaguely heard Sesshomaru saying something, but as I decided to ignore it, Inuyasha filled me in with a scowl on his face.

"The bastard says he doesn't take orders from anyone, especially from humans."

"Oh for Kami-sama's sake-"

I was about to yell a bit more, but my ears caught something. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru must have smelled them by now.

I heard giggles, shuffles, then the sliding of the front door with a union of cheerful voices.

"Kagome-chan!"

Oh, Kami-sama, why do you hate me so?

* * *

**Vocabulary:**

**Gomen** - sorry

**Ohaiyou** - good morning

**Oi** - something similar to hey

**Moshi moshi** - Japanese greeting on the phone

My first try with fluff that involves Inuyasha and Kagome. This really isn't a romance fiction, but there will be a few fluffs here and there. Read and Review please. It'll make my day.


	7. Of Toilets and Confrontations

**The Other Side**

**Chapter Seven **

**- Of Toilets and Confrontations -**

Quick overview of where people are located.

Inuyasha is standing at the middle of the staircase(in full view from the door), Miroku-sama was at the bottom(also in full view from the door) with me still pushing his back, Sango-chan is poking her head out from the living room(What a surprise. She- well, her face anyways- is in full view from the door), and Rin-chan and Sesshomaru are in the living room(the only ones not yet discovered).

Oh, my.

"Oh my god, Kagome-chan, you never told us you had company over!" Eri squeaked as she eyed Inuyasha and Miroku-sama. It was sort of difficult to catch what she was saying with her mask on.

"Hey, your foreign boyfriend is here too!" Yuka chirped up.

"Boyfriend?"

I noticed Hojo-kun carrying a large pumpkin and giving Yuka a questioning look before eyeing Inuyasha and Miroku-sama.

"Yes, Hojo-kun! We told you about a million times already! Kagome-chan already has a boyfriend!" Eri said as she rolled her eyes. "He's the one on the staircase"  
she whispered loudly.

"Hey, Kagome-chan! How are you feeling?" Ayumi waved.

How am I feeling?

Quite numb.

I felt Miroku-sama shift and I immediately knew his instincts of hitting on women were kicking in.

"Not now, Miroku-sama," I hissed. I looked over my shoulder to see the whole crew staring at me.

"Hey, minna," I nervously laughed. "Listen, um, why don't you go wait in the living room and- no wait, don't go to the living room! Um, the kitchen! Wait for me in the kitchen and um..." I looked over the railing to see Sango-chan still poking her head out. "_Somebody_ should close the door to the living room 'cause it's a mess!" I called. Sango-chan gave me a quick glance and retreated back into the living room, sliding the doors shut.

"Kagome-chan?" Mama was calling me from the kitchen. She appeared into the hallway and once again found the doorway more crowded than usual. "Why, we have more company! How wonderful!"

"Yes, wonderful!" I yelled, not able to hide the frustration in my voice. "Now, if you excuse us for a minute, I'll meet you guys in the kitchen!"

I gave Miroku-sama another push and hurried him and Inuyasha into my room. I slammed the door and slid onto the floor, hands on my face.

"Oh, Kami-sama... What do I do?" I cried into my hands.

"You could get us some breakfast," Inuyasha grumbled.

I glared at him through my fingers.

"Okay... Okay..." I looked up to see Inuyasha looking down at me with his arms crossed and Miroku-sama eagerly observing my room. I abruptly stood up and made Miroku-sama sit on my bed and motioned Inuyasha to do the same.

"All I have to do is deal everything one at a time..." I whispered to myself.

"You could start off by getting us some breakfast," Inuyasha scowled.

"I have a word that is dangling at the tip of my tongue and I assure you, Inuyasha, that it'll not make things so good for you."

That shut him up.

"All right..." I continued. "I'm going to send that group of people downstairs away as soon as possible. You two will remain here as quietly and humanely as possible, _not touching anything_," I glared at Miroku-sama and he quickly put the alarm clock back onto my desk. "If a pack of beings from five hundred years ago is going to stay here for the next six days, it is best that my acquaintances know as little as possible about you people. That means no talking to my friends like last time, Inuyasha, and NO humble requests of bearing children, Miroku-sama. Any questions?"

"Are we going to have breakfast?"

"...Sit."

I whipped around and was out the door when I remembered something. I swung open my door again and glared at Inuyasha laying prone on the floor and Miroku-sama, who was fiddling with my alarm clock.

"And DON'T touch my closet."

With that I shut the door.

* * *

"We apologize for coming so early in the morning, Higurashi-obasan."

"No, not at all! We all enjoy company now and then. Oh, and arigatou, Hojo-kun. The pumpkin is really nice."

"My pleasure."

I took in a deep breath as I listened to the conversation from the staircase. Please don't let anything slip Mama...

"Would you like some more crackers?"

"Oh, arigatou Oba-san!"

I crept down the last stairs and slid against the wall, trying to get to the door to the living room without getting seen through the entryway of the kitchen. I heard some chattering and crunching on rice crackers as I quietly slid the living room door open. I quickly let myself in and slid the door closed. Sango-chan was sitting in one corner looking very uncomfortable while Sesshomaru was sitting at the other side of the room with Rin-chan still curled in his fur pelt.

"Um..." I paused, wondering what to say. "I... Have some friends over right now but I'm going to get rid of them as soon as I can, so I'm begging you Sesshomaru-san, please, _please_ just stay in here until they're gone."

He didn't even glance at me, the arrogant jerk. Sango-chan looked apprehensive.

"Should I hide, Kagome-chan?"

"No, there isn't any reason to hide," I said quickly. "It's just that I'll have to come up with an excuse for everyone so there won't be any weird rumors going on and- it just gets complicated. I have Inuyasha and Miroku-sama upstairs so they won't be much of a problem, but you have to stay in here too, Sango-chan."

"All right," she said with a rather nervous expression. She clutched Hiraikotsu tighter as she eyed Sesshomaru.

"And stop him from going anywhere?" I added as I glanced at Sesshomaru.

Before Sango-chan could answer I heard Mama's voice coming from the kitchen.

"Have you met Kagome's friends? Oh, we must all get together and have snacks! I'll go call them."

I sprinted out of the living room and scrambled into the kitchen, nearly bumping into Mama.

"Kagome-chan, careful!" she said as I stumbled.

"Um, they've gone back to sleep, Mama," I muttered. "My company, I mean."

"They have? Then I must make sure they got out the right quilts." She tried to leave the kitchen, but I stopped her. I could feel four pairs of eyes looking at me rather strangely as I stammered for an excuse.

"Well, they don't need quilts. You see, uh... They... They fell asleep on Sesshomaru-san's fur pelt!" I hurriedly explained in a triumphant voice.

"But that fur pelt isn't big enough for all five of them," Mama said, looking concerned.

"You have MORE people over, Kagome-chan?" Eri asked. "Besides your boyfriend and that guy?"

"No, well, I mean, um, yes. And that fur pelt IS big enough for everyone, Mama. It, um, stretches..."

"Well, if that's so..." Mama said, not entirely satisfied. But she soon smiled and ushered me towards a chair. "I'll go and help Oji-san in the storage room. You five get together and catch up with your talking."

She left the kitchen, leaving me to be dumbly seated in a chair across Eri, who had a sly smile on her face.

"So, Kagome-chan, what have you been doing?" Ayumi asked. "Oh wait, before you talk we should put the masks back on."

"No, it's fine, Ayumi-chan," I said. "And I've been okay. Except I had to lay in bed during the days, of course. You know, being sick," I quickly added.

"Uh-huh... And is that why you have your boyfriend over?" Eri teased with a smile.

"No, he just arrived yesterday," I mumbled as my cheeks went red.

"And who's the girl? You know, the one in the living room."

"Cousin," I quickly said.

"And what about the other guy?" Yuka asked, excited. "He was cute."

"Um, cousin." I really can't be creative when I'm desperate.

"How old is he?"

"I sort of lost track with his age," I muttered. "I think a few years older than me."

"What's his name?"

"Miroku." I then mentally slapped myself for saying that far. I quickly changed the subject.

"So what's new in school?" I hastily asked.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Eri squealed. "You haven't heard the latest news about Shimura-sensei yet!"

Eri, along with Yuka, started filling me in about our science teacher's honeymoon with Ayumi occasionally adding in details. As I absent mindedly listened to them, I realized how much I missed hanging out with the girls and talking about petty things that didn't involve any life risking plans or psychopathic spider hanyous. Inuyasha and everyone else were great company, but sometimes I just needed other people I could talk comfortably to about things in my time, the time where I really belong. I had a really fun time, laughing and chatting with them for nearly half an hour, although I noticed Hojo-kun was much quieter than usual.

"Did you guys study for the history test?" I casually asked as I drank my tea.

"Oh, sure. It was a bit hard because Satsuo-sensei made us memorize the dates, but-"

"Was?"

"We took the test on Friday, Kagome-chan."

Oh, great. Just lovely.

"And speaking of the test," Hojo-kun spoke at last, "I was thinking if I could have my notes back, please."

"Yeah, sure," I said as I got up from my seat. That was the first thing he said to me today... "I'll go get it."

"Mind if I come along?" he asked as he got up from his seat too.

"No! I mean, yes! Yes, I DO mind," I said as I retreated towards the door. "I'll go get it."

I left the kitchen and headed for the stairs, ignoring the shuffling behind the living room doors. I skipped over the stairs and sprinted over to my room. I swung open the door and grabbed Hojo-kun's notes on the desk, but something caught my eye as I turned to exit the room. I whirled around, startling Inuyasha.

"What?" he said rather irritably.

"Where's Miroku-sama?" I asked, urgently.

"He said he needed to go."

"Go where?"

He scowled. "Answer nature calls."

"What does that- oh my god, Miroku-sama doesn't know how to use the bathroom!"

"Chill it, Kagome, I told him how to use it all right?"

"You did?" I looked at him suspiciously.

"But he's taking a hell lot of time than usual."

* * *

And there was a reason to why the monk in question was taking a longer time than usual to relieve himself.

Miroku stared at the puddle of water, his hands absent-mindedly fiddling with an alarm clock. He found everything quite strange and wondered for the fourth time whether he was in the right place. What had Inuyasha told him?

"Go down the hall and open all the doors until you find a place with this white weird thing."

Going down the hall was not that difficult. Opening the doors, however, was quite a challenging task. He had tried to slide one, but became very puzzled when the door did not budge. The confused monk tried knocking softly on the wood and lifting up the door by wedging his fingers through the small crack at the bottom to no avail. He then noticed the round object that was stuck in the wood, just above his waist. Vaguely remembering that Kagome had turned it in her hand as she pushed open the door last night, he tried imitating what she did and to his mild surprise and delight, the door creaked open.

Now that he had mastered opening doors, all Miroku had to do was start his search for the "white weird thing."

The first door Miroku opened revealed Souta changing into his clothes.

"Whoops, excuse me," the monk nervously laughed as he swiftly closed the door again.

The second door Miroku opened revealed a room that was slightly larger than Kagome's. But seeing that there was nothing particularly white nor weird, he figured it was not the place which he was looking for (and needed quite desperately).

The third door Miroku opened revealed something white and rather weird. It looked like a wide, large bowl filled with a bit of water. So he figured he had finally reached his destination.

But it was then that Miroku realized that he had no idea what to do. He tried recalling what Inuyasha had told him after the directions.

"Do your stuff in it."

In it? Miroku peered at the water inside the white bowl. He was supposed to go in it?

He tentatively lifted one foot and let it hover over the surface of the water for a moment before dipping a toe.

Somehow his instincts were telling him that this wasn't exactly what he was supposed to do.

He retreated his foot and stared at the bowl again.

Perhaps it would be better if he asked Kagome.

* * *

Hojo quietly climbed up the stairs, careful to keep an eye on Kagome's door. Kagome had said that she didn't want him coming to her room, but she didn't say anything about him not being able to use the bathroom upstairs, right? So he wouldn't be upsetting her if he coincidently bumped into her "foreign boyfriend" and had a little chat with him... Right?

Hojo was quite disturbed when he had seen this "foreign boyfriend" of Kagome's. Eri had told him several times, but knowing Eri could be a loud gossiper, he figured that she was simply fibbing. But when he had seen him on the stairs as soon as they came in...

He had played the prince and she the princess for the play during the school festival. Why would have Kagome, who disliked drama, played the princess in that particular play where he was the prince who captures the princess's heart? Of course she was interested in him! They went out a couple of times and she even tried to talk to him privately about that younger female peer, Sachiko, who had a crush on him! Plus, he gave her cucumbers! And tea and pumpkins and herbs and all other salubrious things he grew in his own garden! What could have her "foreign boyfriend" possibly given her that were better than his cucumbers? He looked like the average two-timing playboy in Hojo's opinion. Kagome deserved someone more considerate, more generous, and someone who was willing to take care of her.

'Like me,' Hojo thought, but soon shook his head. 'No, no. I shouldn't be so self-centered. If Higurashi wants to be with this foreign boyfriend of hers that's fine.' He paused. ' But I'll only accept this person if he's willing to show more commitment than-'

Hojo stopped his musings when he noticed a door being opened at the end of the hall. He crouched slightly at the top of the stairs and saw the boyfriend in question coming out of a room and heading towards the stairs. Hojo took in a deep breath, and with a determined face, stepped into the hall, blocking the narrow path.

"Hajimemashite," Hojo said in a slightly loud voice. "I'm Hojo. Hojo Kotaro."

He looked mildly surprised, but returned the greetting. "Hello."

He tried to sidestep away, but Hojo quickly blocked him. With a firm look he said, "I'd like to speak to you for just a few minutes."

Ignoring his puzzled look Hojo cleared his throat. "I hope you're willing to take care of Higurashi."

"I certainly am." Again he tried to walk away, but failed.

"I don't know what you were doing on the stairs when we arrived," Hojo said with a slight blush on his cheeks, "but I don't want you to touch her inappropriately at anytime, anywhere."

"I'll... Keep that in mind. Now I really need to go-"

"And when I say 'taking care', it doesn't mean that you'll meet her once a week to ask about her day, but it means you have to do that everyday - that's right - everyday because Higurashi is a very frail woman and she tends to be ill very frequently."

"She does?"

Hojo inhaled in a quick, haughty way. "Yes, she does. And I'm guessing that you were oblivious of that fact because you were too busy romancing with other women?"

Hojo didn't really wanted to attack him this way, but the thought that the boy didn't even know about Kagome's health conditions was just disturbing. Here he was, Hojo, the boy who went out on dates with Higurashi Kagome but didn't really get to start a relationship (how could he when she was absent for every other week?), concerned about her health and bringing her the best vegetables for her benefit, while this "foreign boyfriend" had absolute no idea whether Kagome was down with the Dermatitis Herpetiformis or the flu.

Hojo was even more annoyed when he noticed that he had hit the right button; the fidgeting man before him was looking pretty guilty.

"I haven't really noticed any symptoms-"

"You weren't paying enough attention to her," Hojo said bitterly. His usual happy-go-lucky personality was, apparently, on a vacation.

"Well, there's someone else who's always more concerned of her health than I am so-"

"Yes, that's right!" Hojo said defiantly. "That would be me! It has always been me who sent her the herbs to get rid of the boils she suffered in August, it was me who sent her the cucumbers to cure her rashes, and it was me who heaved a pumpkin all the way here for her to catch up with her nutrition. And if you're not willing to be more committed to Higurashi than I am, I won't accept this relationship because-"

"MIROKU-SAMA!"

Hojo's tirade was cut short when a nearby door opened to reveal a frantic Kagome clutching a notebook. Hojo gave her a surprised look before turning back to the man before him with a outraged look. "You're making her address you as her superior? Who do you think you-"

But Hojo was cut off the second time as Kagome practically shoved the notebook in his face. She grabbed Miroku's arm and pulled him towards her room where a voice was saying, "What a git; he sounds like some retarded father-in-law" that abruptly turned into a painful grunt as Kagome shouted "sit."

"I'll be right back, Hojo-kun!" She called, smiling nervously as Hojo merely stared at her dumbstruck.

She slammed the door closed.

* * *

"What were you thinking, Miroku-sama?" I hissed as soon as I had closed the door. "I told you to stay in here!"

"But Kagome-sama, I needed to-"

"Why were you talking to Hojo-kun?!"

"But Kagome-sama, he spoke to me first," he said defensively.

"I don't care who started the conversation!" I snarled, towering over him. "I told you not to talk to anyone!"

"But it would be rude to ignore him-"

I silenced him with an accusing finger, glaring daggers at the guilty looking Miroku-sama. I was planning to yell at him a little more, but a scoff from Inuyasha caught my attention. He was standing with his arms crossed, his hands in the large hems of his fire-rat, scowling and looking rather irritated.

"What the hell is wrong with that kid?" Inuyasha said rather loudly. "Who the hell cares if he's been raiding his vegetable garden for you?"

"He's just being nice," I said defensively, feeling a bit guilty.

...Wait. Why should I be feeling guilty anyways?

"Nice?" He scoffed. His ears were twitching. "Nice? So anyone who wants to be nice to you has to raid a vegetable market?"

"Why do YOU care anyways?" I retorted back hotly as I turned to him. "If anyone should be raiding vegetable markets for me, it should be YOU."

"Me?" He snarled. I noticed Miroku-sama slowly edging away from us out of the corner of my eye. "Why ME?"

I could feel my eyebrow twitching.

Why me? WHY ME?!

"Perhaps you're forgetting that I'M the one who travels five hundred years and back to help YOU get Shikon pieces?"

"I wouldn't be looking for them if YOU haven't shattered it into tiny million pieces, wench!"

"Haven't you even wondered even once why I would be searching for the Shikon pieces when it's YOU who needs them?" I snapped.

"No," he spat nastily, "so why don't you tell me?"

...For you, baka.

"Well?" he urged.

"...Baka."

"What?"

"I said, BAKA!" I screamed. "You are the most rude, ungrateful person I've ever met in my life! YOU should be the one concerning about my health since it's YOU who need my help! And if YOU are going to be so irritated with anyone who's actually been considerate enough to be concerning about my health, then I suggest that YOU try detecting bleak Shikon powers while constantly getting nagged, YOU ARROGANT BAKA!"

"You wench-"

"Sit!"

I stormed out of the room, but before closing the door, I glared back at Inuyasha, who was currently trying to get up. "Maybe you should try being at least half as considerate as Hojo-kun if you want my help!" The corners of my eyes were stinging. "...Baka!"

"Kagome-"

I slammed the door closed. I was breathing heavily and my knuckles were white.

Just the night before he was being so sweet and the next moment he's so rude, so inconciderate, so... baka.

I pressed a hand onto my eyes in an effort to keep the tears in.

I bet he didn't even have problems like this with Kikyou...

"Higurashi?"

I looked up to see Hojo-kun peering at me cautiously. Seriously, he really is the kind of guy any girl could want. He may not be the most good-looking guy, but he was sweet, thoughtful, responsible, smart...

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said, forcing a smile. "I just got a little upset, that's all. Oh, and gomen."

"What for?"

"Well, first off for throwing the notebook in your face," I said sheepishly.

"No, it's fine," Hojo-kun smiled. "Didn't hit me at all. But were the notes any use?"

"Yes, they were a great help, arigatou." I smiled back. "And sorry for all the commotion in the room."

"No, it's fine, Higurashi. Is there something wrong between your boyfriend?"

"Technically, he's not my boyfriend," I muttered, looking down at my feet. "And yes, we do have a problem, but that's not important."

Hojo-kun nodded, looking somehow relieved. "Well, let's go back down."

I followed Hojo-kun down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen, but stopped briefly in front of the closed living room doors.

I heard a bit of shuffling and a low, muffled voice, and I detected Sesshomaru's strong youki, meaning that he was still present in the room.

Well, of course he's still in there Kagome! Sango-chan is guarding the door and Rin-chan is probably still dozing on his fur pelt. But then, the latter seems more assuring... Meaning that Sesshomaru can wander around wherever he wants once Rin-chan is awake and cause severe casualties and bring an end to the human race...

"Would you like some juice?"

"Pass me the crackers please, Ayumi-chan?"

"Kawaii..."

The giggles and squeals from the kitchen brought me out of my musings. When was Souta ever considered cute?

"Oh, look at her cheeks! They're so rosy!"

"Aw..."

"Look at her little ponytail!"

Rosy cheeks? Ponytail?

...Holy shit.

* * *

**Vocabulary:**

Minna - Everyone

Hajimemashite - Greeting given to someone you meet for the first time.

Thank you. And thank you. And thank you. And thank you for taking your time to read this chapter and leave a review (hint hint) and generously forgive the laziness of this humble writer. And I really can't express in words how much I am thankful for those who left reviews for the last chapter! Hope you have a pretty good guess of who joined the table and is currently munching on the rice crackers :)


	8. Of Playgrounds and Rejections

**The Other Side **

**Chapter Eight**

**- Of Playgrounds and Rejection -**

Oh, please, Kami-sama... Tell me that's not who I think it is...

"Arigatou! Rin likes these crackers very much!"

More crooning and giggles.

I can't believe this. First Miroku-sama, then Rin. Why? Why me?

"So Rin-chan," I heard Ayumi talking cheerfully, "are you Kagome-chan's cousin?"

I could mentally see Rin-chan cocking her head slightly to the side in that cute way of hers whenever she was confused. Another round of crooning.

"Kagome-sama saved Rin from the evil Takemaru!" she chirped gaily instead. Whether she understood the question but chose to ignore it or she didn't understand and decided to cover up her confusion with another totally random subject like all kids do, I would never know.

"Takemaru? Who's that?"

"Jaken-sama told Rin that Takemaru is a filthy human who tried to kill Sesshomaru-sama's Otou-sama!"

"So he's a bad guy, is he?" Eri asked in an amused voice. "How bad is he?"

I poked my head through the doorway slightly to see Rin-chan extending out her arms above her head. "This much."

Louder crooning and a gentle pinch on the cheek for Rin-chan.

"Then who's Sesshomaru-sama, Rin-chan?"

Whoa, time to cut it there.

"Rin-chan!" I cheerfully called through grit teeth. Her face positively lit up when she saw me, the corners of her mouth speckled with crumbs.

"Kagome-sama!"

"I thought you were sleeping," I sweetly said, trying to rack my brain for some kind of excuse to steer her back into the living room.

"Rin was sleeping!" she assured. And then without even stopping to take a breath, "But then Rin got hungry so Rin said 'Sesshomaru-sama, Rin is hungry' and Sesshomaru-sama said, 'You may go search for food, Rin,' so Rin said 'Hai!' and Sango-sama said 'Wait, Rin-chan,' but then Sesshomaru-sama looked at Sango- sama and Sango-sama didn't say anything anymore so Rin said 'Rin will be back soon, Sango-sama!' and then Rin came out of the big big room and Rin heard voices so Rin followed her ears and Rin found Eri-sama and Yuka-sama and Ayumi-sama who gave Rin crackers and Rin is not hungry now!"

Um...Okay...

"Oh my god, she can speak so fluently!" Eri cooed as she fondled with Rin's hair. "Ne, how old are you, Rin-chan?"

"Mm..." Rin nibbled on her rice cracker as she pondered with wide eyes. "Rin thinks six... No, maybe seven..." Then, perking up, she added, "But Rin was alive again a few moons ago so Rin is actually not even one-year-old!"

"Hm? What do you mean you were alive again?" Ayumi inquired.

"Big mean wolves bit Rin a lot so Rin had to die..." Rin said in a quieter voice. Then she perked up again with a grin, "But Sesshomaru-sama saved Rin so Rin is okay now!"

"Wow, Sesshomaru-sama is pretty nice," Yuka said with a wink at Eri. Then turning to me she playfully said, "So, Kagome-chan, is this Sesshomaru-sama sexy like the other ones we saw?"

"Er..."

"Yes!" Rin chirped in, beaming. Then she blinked several times and with an unwavering smile asked, "What does 'sexy' mean?"

Another round of giggling from the girls and even a sheepish laugh from Hojo-kun.

"It means good-looking, Rin-chan," Eri snickered.

"Then yes! Sesshomaru-sama is sexy!" Rin was simply ecstatic, her cheeks glowing even rosier with excitement. "Sesshomaru-sama is more sexy than anyone!"

"Okay, Rin-chan!" I quickly intervened loudly, hoping to stop her from saying "sexy" again; sounds really inappropriate when it's said by Rin in the same sentence with Sesshomaru, you know? "How about you go out to the playground?"

"Playground?" Her eyes were shining with curiosity like Miroku-sama's did around soy sauce containers, spoons, alarm clocks, and whatnots.

"Yeah, it's a really fun place to play! You'll absolutely love it!" I said with a grin I didn't hope was too phony. I coaxed her out of the chair away from my disappointed friends and led her towards the kitchen entrance. To my relief, I spotted Souta getting into his shoes at the entrance hall. I turned to Rin and said loudly so that Souta could hear, "Go to the playground and play with Souta, okay?"

My message had gotten across; Souta flinched and looked at me over his shoulder, a hand already on the door handle. "Ne-chan, I can't... I promised Sakura-chan that I'd meet her soon. You know... For a date?" He mumbled sheepishly, pleading with his eyes. Mama was just passing by us with a basket of laundry in hand and Souta - that sly sucker - tried to use this to his advantage. "Ka-san, Kagome-nechan's trying to make me take the girl to my date."

"Then you should do what your sister says," Mama chided. Ha, your plan backfired! What now?! "I think it's a wonderful idea. Rin-chan would definitely like to explore the playground!"

"But Ka-san..." Souta protested, whiningly. "It's a date," he hissed.

"So? Girls love guys who're good with kids!" I argued. Okay, technically, Souta's only four or five years older than Rin-chan and he's a kid himself, but how else can I convince him to let Rin-chan tag along?

"Really?" He asked incredulously but curiously.

"Of course, Souta-kun!" Yuka intervened from behind me. "It shows how caring he is, you know?"

"But she's not even dressed yet," Souta now half-heartedly protested, eyeing my big T-shirt on Rin.

"Oh, that's no problem at all!" Mama insisted enthusiastically. "I just laid out the most adorable outfit I found digging through Kagome's old clothes so it'll just take me a second to get her all dressed up!"

"Oh, fine..." he finally gave in with a grumble.

"Arigatou, Souta-kun!" Rin-chan piped up. She flashed him an adorable smile.

"Um..." Was it just my imagination or was Souta blushing? "No problem..."

"Well, come now." Mama cheerfully called. She held Rin-chan's tiny hand and led her towards her bedroom. "We'll get you ready to go in a jiffy!" Mama seemed to be quite zealous about the dressing up idea; she had always wished for another daughter to get into her dressing-up frenzies. Rin-chan looked back and waved happily towards us with a grin and all five of us waved back with silly smiles.

Okay, good one, Kagome. Another problem solved... Now just get rid of these other people, gratitude for their concern be damned. I turned around and found them still seated on the table, Eri giving me a sly grin.

"Kagome-chan, I'm not going to let you get away with this one," Eri said. "Stop hogging all the hot boys; introduce us to this sexy Sesshomaru-sama." Yuka and Ayumi giggled.

"No," I quickly refused, my eyes swiftly darting towards the closed living room door. Unfortunately for me, Yuka noticed my anxiety.

"Is he in there?" She whispered with an excited grin, pointing to the living room.

"No," I denied, a bit too quickly.

"Oh come on, Kagome-chan," Eri said in a playfully irritated tone. "You have your foreign boyfriend already; help us singles share your happy couple love."

"Well, Higurashi technically doesn't have a 'couple love,'" Hojo-kun intervened. For once I welcomed his presence. "She declared that that savage man upstairs is not her boyfriend."

"She's just denying it 'cause she's embarrassed, Hojo-kun," Yuka retorted, rolling her eyes. "He's her boyfriend all right."

"But_ Higurashi_ said-"

"Ow!" I dramatically shouted over the argument. All eyes were suddenly on me as I began to "cough" uncontrollably.

"Kagome-chan! Are you all right?" Ayumi shouted as she hurried over to me. I waved a hand frantically to keep her coming too close, my other hand grasping my throat.

"I think my uh, Derma Herpie whatever-you-call-it is back," I wheezed weakly through fake coughs.

Instantly all four people retreated backwards. "But I thought Dermatitis Herpetiformis was a skin problem, Higurashi," Hojo-kun said, confused.

"...Well, it must've spread to my throat or something, I don't know..." I moaned. I bent over and while using my hair as a curtain to hide my face from my friends, I shot a bewildered Souta, who was still waiting in front of the door, a meaningful look.

"Uh, Eri-nechan? I think everyone should leave before they catch whatever Kagome-nechan has," Souta quickly suggested.

The words worked like magic. In an instant, everyone was fumbling with their bags and heading towards the door, careful not to make any physical contact with me as they passed through the hallway.

"Are you going to be okay?" Yuka asked worriedly as she hesitantly put on her shoes.

"Yeah, I'll be fine... In a few days or so," I said in a throaty voice.

"Do you want me to get you some more pumpki-"

"No, no... I won't be needing any more pumpkins, but thank you, Hojo-kun."

"Well, it seems a shame that we're leaving so early- oh my god! Rin-chan!"

Everyone's head snapped towards Mama's bedroom at Eri's excited squeal. Mama was coming out of the room, beaming proudly, holding Rin-chan's hand. Rin-chan was certainly looking her best; Mama had dressed her into one of my old outfits, a denim skirt with overalls straps, knee-high black stockings, and a pristine white blouse with lace at the cuffs and collar. Mama even went out to fix Rin-chan's hair, which was now half loose and half in a ponytail and knot-free. Rin-chan was positively glowing with excitement.

"Oh my god, you're so cute," Yuka cooed as she bent down to grasp Rin-chan's hands.

"Thank you, Yuka-sama," Rin-chan shyly said with a smile.

"Did you hear that? She called you 'Yuka-sama,'" Eri gushed. "Hey, Rin-chan, remember my name?"

"Okay, people!" I yelled as loud as I could in my disguised, "sick" voice. "I think you should leave soon. And Souta, aren't you late for your date?"

"Huh?" For a moment Souta looked completely out of it. Was it just me or was he just busy staring at Rin-chan? Eri and Yuka's sly grin and knowing look confirmed my suspicions.

"Your date, Souta," I stressed. "Sakura-chan? You're taking Rin-chan along, remember?"

"Oh... Oh, yeah," he mumbled, going red in the face. Oh god... Sakura-chan has some tough competition coming up.

"Yeah, you should hurry up and take Rin-chan to the playground, Souta-kun," Eri said with a sly smile. "And hold Rin-chan's hand; she's such a small girl and you wouldn't want her getting lost, would you?"

"Er... Okay..." Souta answered tentatively, not knowing what to make of Eri's and Yuka's raised eyebrows and suggestive looks. "Come on, Rin...Chan..."

"Here you are, dear," Mama said gently as she helped Rin-chan get into my old red sneakers. "Go have fun, okay?"

"Arigatou, Kagome-sama's Oka-sama!" Rin-chan chirped. She abruptly hugged Mama, throwing her little arms around her neck. Mama looked as if she was about to cry joyful tears.

"Goodbye everyone!" Rin-chan cheerfully said as she enthusiastically waved goodbye at us. Souta looked very uncomfortable as he waited awkwardly just outside the open door.

"Bye, Rin-chan," Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi chorused with silly smiles. The two finally trotted down the stairs of the shrine and out of sight.

"I wish I had a younger sister like Rin-chan..." Ayumi sighed.

"Ne, Kagome-chan, do you think we could come over some time and dress up Rin? I have these adorable outfits my cousin used to wear-"

"Yeah, maybe next time, Eri-chan. You know, when I'm not sick?" I pointed out, deliberately thickening my voice.

"Oh right, right..."

Minutes later they were out of the house, standing before the door.

"Hope you get better soon, Higurashi. Thank you for having us over, Oba-san," Hojo added, turning to Mama.

"Oh, it was my pleasure. And thank you once again for the vegetables."

"Kagome-chan, be sure you come to school next month... It's our finals."

"I'll try," I weakly said. Come on, leave leave leave...

"And tell your foreign boyfriend that we miss talking to him," Yuka joked with a wink.

"Sure." Please please please...

"Well, we better get going!"

And yes, they were finally leaving, waving goodbye as they walked towards the stairs and any moment now they'll be descending those steps and I'll have just one less thing to worry about-

"Miko. Where is Rin?"

If I ever thought in the past that Sesshomaru's voice couldn't get any scarier, I was utterly, utterly wrong.

* * *

Higurashi Souta was just an ordinary kid. Sure, he had a time-traveling sister and had youkai and people from 500 years ago staying at his home, but besides that he was a pretty ordinary eleven-year-old kid. So like any other (straight) boy of his age, Souta tended to get slightly nervous when he was around pretty girls.

_'I hope Sakura-chan comes quick...'_

Souta furtively glanced across the bench where Rin sat, pleasantly humming and swinging her legs at the edge of the park bench. He was sitting on the edge of the other side of the red bench, making sure that he kept enough distance to indicate that he had nothing to do whatsoever with this charmingly dressed girl.

He stole another glance, this time eyeing her childish face. She had rosy cheeks and wide fawn eyes, a button nose, and an always smiling pair of lips. Nothing really peculiar even though she was from another era. Or perhaps she was actually a youkai and Kagome-nechan just didn't know about it... Maybe_ she_ was actually the master of that aloof, scary looking demon sitting in the living room; after all, he seemed to oblige to her every whim. And maybe when everyone was asleep she went around the shrine, planting youki in objects so that they became evil by night and snuck up to his room to-

"Ne, Souta-kun."

Souta nearly fell off the bench. He could feel his ears burning as he composed himself and muttered, "What?"

"Is this the playground?" Rin asked curiously, giving the bench a pat.

"No... It's a bench," Souta mumbled to his knees.

"Oh," Rin responded cheerfully. "Rin was just thinking that it couldn't be the playground because Kagome-sama had said that the playground was fun!"

"Oh... Are you... Are you bored?"

"No, Rin is not bored," she replied, shaking her head with a smile. "Rin always has to sit for a long time when Sesshomaru-sama and Jaken-sama leaves her with Ah -Un."

"Jaken?"

"Jaken-sama is Rin's master."

"Master? I thought that tall guy was your master."

"No, Sesshomaru-sama is just Sesshomaru-sama," Rin explained with a giggle as if she was explaining the most obvious thing in the world.

"Um... Okay..." He glanced at his watch; still eight minutes left. "So is Jaken-sama tall too?"

"No," Rin said thoughtfully. "Jaken-sama is really short. Shorter than Rin."

"Do you think he's smaller than Buyo?"

"Buyo?"

"He's our cat. Sort of chubby and grouchy most of the time. You didn't see him?"

She shook her head.

"Well, I'll show him to you... He only likes girls. Well, that's what I think anyways," Souta added with a shrug. "Kagome-nechan says that Puyo doesn't like me 'cause I don't look after him and he doesn't like Ojii-chan 'cause he shouts too much... But I swear he only likes girls."

Rin giggled. "Arigatou, Souta-kun! Rin likes cats."

"I'd rather have a dog."

"Oh, but Rin has a dog!"

"You do?"

"Mm-hm!" She enthusiastically nodded. "Sesshomaru-sama!"

Souta blinked. "But he's a youkai."

"An _inu_ _dai_youkai!" Rin corrected him. "Sometimes Sesshomaru-sama becomes really really big and he turns into a really really big dog!"

"Why would he do that?"

"Oh, Sesshomaru-sama only likes to be a really big dog when he's really angry..." Rin added thoughfully. "But Sesshomaru-sama isn't angry a lot."

"So you don't technically have a dog."

"No..." she admitted somewhat wistfully. But immediately brightening, she added, "But Rin has Ah-Un!"

"Ah-Un? That's a weird name."

"But Ah-Un needs two names because he has two heads," Rin insisted, leaning closer to him with a sincere look. It was then that Souta realized that he had unconsciously scooted closer to her whilst talking and was now sitting right next to her. A blush rapidly crept up his neck and spread like wildfire across his face.

"Souta-kun?" Rin called, puzzled. "Souta-kun is all red." She reached for his forehead.

"Ne, Rin-chan!" Souta practically shouted as he jumped off the bench. "Why don't we go to the playground now? It's actually just around the corner!"

Rin immediately beamed and slid off the bench as well. "Okay!"

Souta hesitated for a moment, glancing at Rin's hand.

_'Should I? No, I shouldn't! I haven't even held Sakura-chan's hand yet! But what if she does get lost? If that happens that scary youkai- no, Kagome-nechan will kill me for sure...'_

Perhaps Rin's aptitude for understanding people gave her a clue or perhaps it was simply because Souta's inward dilemma was written all over his face. Whatever the reason, Rin held out a hand towards the taller boy with an encouraging smile.

"Will Souta-kun hold Rin's hand so she won't get lost?" she innocently asked.

"Er..."

_'Just take it_!' a small voice seemed to shout in Souta's head. _'She's just a little girl after all! It's not like you like her or anything... She's barely eight!'_

_'No, you shouldn't take it; it'll upset Sakura-chan for sure,_' another voice intervened. _'Just make sure she stays close to you. Prove that you have nothing but a sibling interest for her.'_

_'Don't listen to him! You know what you want; just take it!'_

_'Think wisely, Higruashi Souta.'_

_'Take it!'_

_'Don't!'_

_'Take it!'_

_'Don't!'_

"Souta-kun?"

"Ack, whatever!" Souta exasperatedly exclaimed out loud, momentarily startling Rin. He grabbed her hand; it was soft and small. His face was burning again. "Come on... I'll take you to the playground."

"Arigatou!" Rin smiled as she trotted after him to keep up with his longer strides. "Souta-kun is very kind."

He looked at her nervously and his face turned an even brighter crimson when he saw those fawn eyes looking admiringly at him. "Erm..."

"Souta-kun?" The new voice rooted Souta to the spot. He snapped his head jerkily towards the source of the voice and saw, with horror and disbelief that his luck sucked so much that he had the most awful timing, Sakura-chan standing nearby, clutching a fuzzy blue purse.

"Sakura-chan-"

The hurt look she gave him made his heart cripple. Without another word, she turned around and began walking away in the other direction.

"Wait! Sakura-chan!"

Souta frantically looked at Rin, who was still puzzled about the situation before her, and quickly pleaded, "Look, Rin-chan. Stay here, okay? I'll be back very soon so just stay here and wait for me, okay?"

"Okay, Souta-kun," Rin replied with a smile. She was about to say to not forget to come back like she always told Sesshomaru-sama when he left, but Souta was already running after the girl with the fuzzy blue purse, who was by now sprinting away.

Rin went back to the bench and perched herself at the edge. She looked up and saw clouds oozing across the blue sky and smiled brightly. For some strange reason, Souta reminded her of Inuyasha-sama sometimes...

* * *

Am writing again ) Reviews are always great; gives one a fuzzy warm feeling inside.


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